I’ve written more words about Henrik Lundqvist than any player I’ve covered, probably by tens of thousands. Marty Brodeur has got to be next, and there’s a good chance Mike Bossy gets the bronze here. Sean Avery and Bobby Holik are way up there, too.
But never have I written more words per minute of ice time about an athlete than I have regarding Matt Rempe, who has become both a literal and mythical outsized character in a little less than a month in the NHL.
The last Rangers rookie to get this much attention was Lundqvist in 2005-06. Before that, it may stretch all the way back to Don Murdoch, who scored eight goals in his first four games in 1976-77, which included a five-goal extravaganza in the fourth match of his NHL career.
Rempe is getting noticed for different reasons. At 6-foot-8 ½ inches, all arms and legs and angles and with an innocent face that cracks into a wide smile without much prompting, the 21-year-old can seem like the Jolly Green Giant.
